


A Lesson In Love

by Ghastjio



Category: No Straight Roads (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Other, additional tags come as necessary!, rating shouldn't change, relationship and character tags are bound to increase and or change as the fic goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghastjio/pseuds/Ghastjio
Summary: 1010 knows love. It comes from their fans in the form of wordless screams, loving chants, and endless chatrooms. It comes in the form of fan cams, fan mail, fanart, and fanfiction. It powered them and their very lives. Which is why they're so disappointed when their captain congratulates instead of fawns. Pats their heads instead of swoons. Does he not love them?Neon J knows love. It comes in the form of gentle words, loving gifts, and shared activities. It's all the small things that equal more than the sum of their parts. Which is why he's so disappointed in himself when he learns he programmed his troops with a fatal flaw. It had to be done; infatuation was the easiest source of power that didn't rely on the Qwasa. But now, even though Qwasa energy is rampant and 1010 no longer has to rely on their fans, they still only understand infatuation.Neon has a plan. A stupid one, maybe, and one that requires reinforcements, but it's better than nothing. His troops will learn tolove, and in the right way this time.
Relationships: 1010 & Neon J. (No Straight Roads), 1010 & Zuke (No Straight Roads), DJ Subatomic Supernova/Neon J., Neon J./DJ Subatomic Supernova
Comments: 13
Kudos: 217





	1. Regret: Side 10

**Author's Note:**

> A few notes before we begin!  
> 1 - DJ uses he/they pronouns! They change based on which one's more convenient for me to write in the scene  
> 2 - I’m using 1010’s fanon names for convenience (and a couple plans)! Here they are, in case you need them: Rin, Eloni, Haym, Zimelu, Purl-hew  
> 3 - 1010’s side isn’t focused on romantic love! It’s all platonic for now, baby. They need to start _somewhere_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the world of regret, boys. You’ll learn better things in the future

The good thing about being robots is that they don’t need to hold their breaths to sneak around. The bad thing is that they need to pad their heavy feet. They look horrendous, sure, with every piece of fabric they could find wrapped around their legs, but the silence is more than worth it. Sneaking up on their captain is no easy feat. They have to stay out of sight at all times - just peeking around the corner is sure to set his radar off. Just talking to each other is sure to make his head turn. Just-

I hear him!

Zimelu’s message comes in milliseconds before Neon J opens the front door. Out of habit, Eloni swivels his head around to check the hallway they’re in.

Perimeter secure!

Rin doesn’t dare nod. It’s irrational, there’s a wall between him and his captain, but he needs to stick to safety. Instead he pings the internal group chat so they know he’s listening. They ping him back.

Out in the foyer, Neon J sighs. “I apologize for bringing you on such short notice. I just-”

“You’ve said that a billion times on the ride over.” DJ Subatomic Supernova’s voice echos across the empty space. “Give it a rest.”

If 1010 were humans, they would’ve tensed up at the sound of his voice. Instead the tension is expressed in another way.

What!?

Oh no...

He’s not supposed to be here.

This isn’t the plan!

Are you sure you didn’t get it wrong?

Maybe you misheard him??

I’M VERY SURE I DIDN’T!

Attention!

Sir!

Sir!

Sir!

Sir!

This isn’t supposed to be happening, but we’re not going to let our efforts go to waste. Worst case we get some dirt on their relationship, right boys?

Oooh, dirt...

I *guess*.

Shut up, you like dirt.

The small burst of conversation lasts moments at most. That’s one of the perks of being a robot - no typing required. They’re done in time to hear Neon J’s response.

“It’s hard not to worry about this.”

DJ is silent for a moment. Then he speaks up. “You never quite explained the situation to me.”

“I needed to be in the comfort of my own home. It’s a difficult decision to talk about in the middle of a raving club or a moving car.”

“Funny, I thought cars were the best place to talk about heavy topics.”

Neon’s radar pings. Then again seconds later. It’s slow, the pings as low as they can go. He’s searching. Luckily 1010 is around the corner and out of range.

“J?”

“The troops are charging. Can we talk in the living room?”

“Is this about them?”

The clack of metal feet on marble rings out, going in the opposite direction from where 1010 is hiding. “Come.”

DJ sighs, but from the sound of his own softer footsteps, he’s following. Rin doesn’t need to message the group chat to let them know what they’re doing; after five seconds of silence, they move as one. They dash across the hallway entrance, sparing only a glance at the foyer, before continuing on. The fabric on their feet doesn’t muffle running, but it does a good job hiding their jog down the hallways and to the living room. It’s slower than the route their captain is taking but infinitely safer. They need to make sure Zimelu really overheard what he thought he did.

They stop a good 25 feet from the entrance to the living room. Careful not to make a sound, they inch forward, listening to the voices inside.

“Stop,” rumbles DJ. “You’ve given me a solution with no explanation. How can I be expected to help without first knowing what the problem is?”

Just in time.

Neon’s radar is just off tempo, clashing with the muted beats from the rest of the district. “I made a mistake.”

“Everyone does.”

“Not like this. Not to their own troops.”

What?

Is this just self-loathing hours??

No, keep listening!

“What do you mean, J?”

For a few moments, only the radar is heard. Then he speaks up. “When I first made 1010, I had to give them a power source. At the time, the blackouts were worse than they’ve ever been, and I knew that the continual loss of power would mess  _ something _ up.”

“So you hyped people up and had their fans power them instead.”

“Yes, but that created the problem here today! They ran on infatuation, lived it, practically breathed it. It’s all they know! Even now that the Qwasa can power them, and is, they don’t recognize anything else. They don’t-” Neon cuts himself off. The radar is further off tempo now, just a little too fast. “Do you know how hard it is? To love your creations more than anything, but not have them recognize it? I see how they interact with each other. They fawn and swoon over everything they do, it’s their way of genuinely supporting each other. But then I come in, giving them support in the only way I know how, and I can  _ feel _ the disappointment. They think I don’t love them, and... it makes me feel like I failed them.”

So it *is* self-loathing hours.

Huh? What does captain mean?

Bro, it isn’t that hard to do what we do.

Exactly! It’s a coverup! Doesn’t want to put in the effort to actually care about us.

Why would he lie?

Duh, wants to get on DJ’s good side.

Yup. Do I smell a pity deal coming up?

Ohhhhh crap. Maybe.

Zimelu?

Hold on, hold on.

“So then,” DJ starts, “what does this have to do with pausing their concerts?”

I KNEW IT!!

WHAT!?

No!!

HE’S PUTTING US ON HOLD SO DJ CAN TAKE OUR DISTRICT TOO!

He can’t do this!

“They need time,” Neon answers.

BULL CRAP.

Time from what? Not seeing you two macking on each other?

This has to be a mistake!

Ain’t a mistake. He’s pulling at DJ’s heart so they can collab this district without us.

No...

I can’t BELIEVE him!

“Time to what?” DJ asks.

Time to throw us away.

“Time to learn.”

DJ hums, then speaks. “Am I here to help you make the decision, or to affirm my part in the solution?”

“Mostly the latter. I need to know I have support.”

“Have you told the other artists?”

Someone, likely Neon, starts pacing. “Not yet.”

“There’s your problem. I can’t help alone, you know this. Why risk drawing the other’s ire when you can ask for permission rather than forgiveness?”

“They can’t know I failed.”

“Or that you care so deeply?”

The pacing stops.

“Tatiana wouldn’t be so callous as to deny you. She cares about her artists, about 1010, almost as much as you do. She’d even help.”

The only answer is the ping of a radar.

“She’s likely awake even at this odd hour.”

Neon takes a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m a fool once again.”

DJ laughs. “Yes you are. Now go call her.”

This presents a problem for Rin. Texts are easy - captain can do them from anywhere, a perk of being a cyborg. But calls? It’s a 50/50 chance whether he has his smartphone on him or has to use one of the old, out-dated landlines he insists on keeping in the mansion. This situation should be played safe. 1010 should dip back to their common area to argue about what this means and come up with a way to stop it. That was the plan, after all. They should not, under any circumstances, stay in this hallway. The promise of more information is alluring, but the risk is high. Leaving now would give them enough time to get out of sight, quick and silent. They shouldn’t stay.  _ They shouldn’t stay _ .

Rin stays. So do his brothers, relying on his sense of judgement. Then Neon J walks towards the doorway and they panic. Their circuits fire like adrenaline, carrying them down the hallway in a flash. Just fast enough to reach a corner, and just fast enough to forget that the fabric around their feet doesn’t hide running.

Neon’s radar pings quick and loud. Then he dashes around the corner and calls the dreaded “ _ Attention! _ ”

Automatically, 1010 lines up at the end of the hallway in perfect salute. “Sir!” they answer back in… almost unison. Eloni accidentally sends his answer to the group chat. His verbal response comes a full millisecond late, a testament to how caught off guard he is.

Their captain stiffly marches towards them, radar as quick and high pitched as it can go, his entire form radiating fury. They’ve only seen him like this once before. Though they stand strong, the group chat is filled to the brim with panicked ‘no’s. Not even DJ’s sheepish form peeking around the doorway can distract from the anger in Neon J’s voice. “What do you think you were  _ doing _ ?”

“Listening, sir,” Rin answers.

“For how long!?”

“Almost the entire time, sir.”

Neon J takes a deep breath and forces himself to stop a few feet away from 1010. After a few long seconds, he finally straightens up and folds his arms behind his back. “At ease, troops.”

They glance at each other but drop their arms and return to more relaxed positions. DJ leans against the wall just outside the living room, pretending to have trouble with his phone. Neon stays stiff and firm.

“I’m sure you have some thoughts on this matter. What are they?”

Rin immediately speaks up. “Why did you try to hide this from us!?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Next is Eloni. “But we do! We  _ know _ you don’t care about us!”

A sharp ping of the radar indicates surprise. “ _ What? _ Troops, you just overheard-”

Haym interrupts. “Your lies, yeah. It isn’t that hard to  _ try _ .”

“I have! I-”

“It’s okay to want alone time with DJ,” Purl-hew says, “but don’t  _ lie _ about the reason why. Just admit you want to collab this district without us!”

“Excuse me!?”

Zimelu steps forward, jabbing a finger in Neon’s direction. “You were  _ just _ talking about our fans last night and how they shouldn’t be fawning over us! Are you jealous, maybe? That they can give us the one thing you can’t??”

DJ raises a hand to his helmet as Neon steps back, pings sharp and erratic like he’s been slapped. Then their captain’s hands curl into fists. “I was right. You  _ don’t _ understand.”

“We-”

“ _ Quiet _ ,” Neon says, voice low and firm. Zimelu’s mouth snaps shut. “I will not tolerate this insubordination. Congrats, soldiers, you’ve made my decision for me: your concerts are suspended for the foreseeable future.”

1010 straightens up, eyes wide and surprised, though no one dares to dispute the order in front of him. Their captain turns away from them, poised like a commander sending his troops to war, though his radar is held low.

“Retire to your rooms. I don’t want to see you ‘til morning.”

There’s no pause - they’re off like a shot, sprinting through the halls and up the stairs. The first words spoken are from Zimelu, who says “ _ Screw _ him!” as soon as 1010 enters the common space outside their rooms. The rooms themselves are sparse, only used because Neon J was adamant on giving them private spaces to recharge once they started relying on Qwasa energy. The common room is another matter entirely. A giant flatscreen TV hangs on one wall, all the latest game systems lined up below it. Every wall is covered in PG letters (all double checked by Neon before given to them). The low table in the middle of the room is covered with cards from five different board games. Various games, both for the TV and the table, are stacked haphazardly in the corners. Holding them in place are five bean bags in 1010’s respective colors.

With a wordless scream, Zimelu promptly punts the green bean bag across the room, showering the floor with thirty different Wii games.

“My beans!”

Haym walks in after to punch Zimelu’s shoulder. “Good job. You  _ totally _ helped our case back there.”

Zimelu wheels around to face him. “Excuse me!?  _ You _ weren’t helping when you called him out on his lies!”

“Like that even compares to you admitting you’ve been listening in on him!”

Purl-hew scoffs as he pulls the fabric off of his feet. “Neither of you helped.”

They stare at each other for a moment, then start yelling at their brother. Rin grimaces as he goes to pick up the green bean bag, sagged against the far corner. He hates seeing his brothers fight. But he can’t really blame them, can he? They screwed up  _ bad _ this time. What will their fans think? Will they blame them, or sympathize with them? Will they even know the truth? His grip tightens. The truth is a sore subject. More so because even his brothers are fooled - he’s the one at fault here! Why are they yelling at each other when he’s the one that decided to eavesdrop on their captain? When he didn’t leave in time? When he got them all caught? It’s his fault and they-

“Rin?”

Rin blinks and turns to Eloni, who’s wringing his hands. Rin smiles reassuringly and hands him his bean bag. “Hey.”

“Are you blaming yourself?”

He can’t even pretend to be surprised. Eloni and Purl-hew have always been the best at reading him, and standing in the corner of the room staring at nothing is kind of a red flag. “Just a little,” he answers.

Eloni rolls his eyes. “You shouldn’t be. Or at least, not more than them.”

“I’m kind of the leader, remember? It’s my job to get blamed when things go wrong.”

His brother wrinkles his nose. But before he can say anything, Haym turns away from the fight across the room to point at him. “And you, Eloni! What happened to checking the perimeter!?”

Eloni straightens up, eyes wide. Then they narrow and his cheeks glow bright and hot as he stomps over to the group. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I can’t check around corners!”

“Excuses, excuses!”

The green bean bag is punted once again, sending Haym to the ground and the others into an argument more heated than the last. Rin cringes and takes a step back, warring between breaking it up and stepping in to get the yelling he deserves. Instead he drops down onto his own bean bag to helplessly watch the Wii games get thrown around. He’s never regretted a decision more. Why did he stay?

And more importantly: how can he change Neon J’s mind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes... you need to start a fic with _two_ chapters...


	2. Regret: Side J

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I only want to use canon names!” I say as I make plans involving 1010’s fanon names. “That’s just more reliable!” I say as I give Yinu’s mom a name.
> 
> Anyway, Yinu’s mom is Hati

“Retire to your rooms. I don’t want to see you ‘til morning.”

Neon J’s words echo in his head, far louder than his troops’ receding footsteps. His radar picks up DJ’s judging, staring form, but he can’t bring himself to address them yet. His body stays firm, unshakeable as always, but his heart trembles with leftover anger and newfound fear. 1010 hates him, don’t they?

“J?” DJ asks, their voice far too gentle.

Neon doesn’t respond. Not until the angry voices of his troops carry through the ceiling and make him flinch. Then he starts forward, pace quick and brisk as he marches to the front door. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

Despite DJ’s larger size, they have to hurry to keep up. “I’m mostly surprised at their assumptions.”

“Which ones?” Neon J asks. He can’t get out of the mansion fast enough, and his shoulders hunch as he has to listen to more yelling upstairs.

“Were any unsurprising to you?”

Finally, he reaches the front doors and pulls them open. It’s too much force - the hinges are sure to go soon because of it - but he’s out. Mercifully, the doors don’t slam against the walls. Nor do they slam when DJ quickly closes them behind the both of them. “I didn’t expect their accusations of jealousy. Or collaboration with you.” A pause. “Or that I was lying about my true feelings.”

“So all of it was surprising.”

Neon turns his radar to the sky. Though he can’t see the stars, he can’t hear his troops either, and it gives his racing heart a chance to relax. “Affirmative.”

DJ pokes the small of Neon’s back, causing him to dance away in surprise. “Don’t get that way with me.”

“Get what way?”

“Only  _ I’m _ allowed to use big words.”

“Shut it, this situation is serious.”

“It also would’ve been serious had you told them the way you wanted to. Did you really expect them to handle this well?”

“I at least expected  _ myself _ to handle it well! What captain loses his temper like that? At his own troops?” What father does that to his own children? No - that thought is too much, makes him seriously consider crying. The anger is gone now and he’s already struggling to keep the weight of guilt and regret from crushing him. Is it too late to take his decision back?

“Well it’s too late to take it back,” DJ starts. If they see Neon’s screen glitch, they don’t comment on it. “Instead we shift our focus to the solution. You finish telling me your ideas, we call Tatiana, and make plans with the rest of NSR in the morning. Or the afternoon, if you want to see your boys first.”

It’s a simple gesture, really, but the focus on moving forward makes Neon want to cry too. When did he become this emotional? “Yes of course,” he answers, relief making him visibly relax. “Of course.”

DJ pats him on the head. The hand isn’t pushed away, unlike every time before. “There we go. Why don’t we visit Natura? It’s quiet this time of night.”

He nods and walks towards the front gate, slow enough for the other artist to walk alongside him. The pain and regret are still there but plans have always soothed his nerves. That’s why he started 1010, he needed something to carry him forward after the war. Funny how good things can turn sour.

DJ doesn’t say anything until they’re out of Metro Division. It’s a long walk but quiet enough taking the back roads (Neon didn’t want to listen to the delighted screams of people on the district’s many rides). Finally, they speak up, helmet tilted up at the first real tree on the journey so far. “Of all things, I didn’t expect them to accuse us of planning to collab the district.”

Neon huffs. “It isn’t surprising. They’re convinced we’re together- we haven’t even gone on a date!”

“... We haven’t?”

“What?”

“I mean! That’s absurd, we haven’t!”

“Exactly! I have no idea where they got that idea.”

“Me neither,” DJ says, scratching at their helmet. “So anyway, I interrupted you back there. Mind telling me the rest of your plans to solve 1010’s problem?”

“Yes, that. You already know about my solution to the energy problem: invite more indie players as well as call in some of my favors at NSR. The love problem is trickier. I can’t simply rebuild 1010 with a different directive - I need this part of them to remain, at least as a mask for their performances. Besides, you know how I am with my creations.”

“Always repair, never rebuild.”

“1010’s old designs were easy. They never got personality, so I could easily repurpose them into Barraca Mansion’s security bots. But my troops… They’re a different matter entirely. I need to change them without changing their code.”

“Which requires personal experiences, yes?”

“Correct! I need to provide 1010 with someone who can give them the right experience. It can’t be any of their fans, that would reinforce who they are now. I also need to be careful if I’m pulling fans from any other district, so that’s a last resort. The artists at NSR might be able to help with this part too, but I’m already going to be asking for so many favors.”

DJ shudders. “And I don’t want five zoomers with one braincell around my equipment. No offence.”

“None taken, that’s what I thought you’d say. Along with the rest of them.”

“Ah.”

“So, if I can’t pick a fan  _ or _ someone from NSR, I need some other artist. Preferably someone who isn’t likely to fall for their tricks. I need someone who doesn’t back down in the face of the enemy’s interests! I need someone who stands by what they believe in, who can’t be swayed by the likes of five ‘zoomers’! I need-”

“Zuke.”

“It’s that obvious!?”

“You personally know two groups of artists: NSR and Bunk Bed Junction. Only one member of Bunk Bed Junction isn’t a fan of 1010.”

“Oh, well, yes, I guess it  _ is _ that obvious.”

“Mhm. How do you plan on convincing him to help, anyway? He had no problem destroying your factory.”

Neon groans and runs a hand down his screen. “Don’t remind me, I’m still trying to rebuild it.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t  _ have _ an answer. That’s part of the reason I pulled you away tonight, I thought you’d have some idea.”

“I do: talk to Eve.”

“You know how busy she is preparing for her next gallery!”

Laughter off to the side makes both artists wheel around in surprise. Yinu’s mother stands at the base of a tree, wiping the tears from her eyes and grinning at the men in front of her. “Or you’re too embarrassed to speak to her again.”

“I thought you were a tree! What are you doing up!?” Neon shouts, panic making his voice louder than he meant it. Then, quieter, “It’s late and you should be asleep!”

“That isn’t stopping you two.”

“You have a daughter!”

“You have five sons.”

He flinches. Hati’s expression immediately turns into concern as DJ pats his shoulder, but before anyone can speak, Neon’s already continuing. “How long have you been listening?”

“I- I only heard that you don’t want to talk to Eve. Is something wrong?”

He relaxes significantly, and DJ speaks up. “We’ve had problems with eavesdroppers tonight. Specifically, his boys overheard an important conversation about them and reacted poorly.”

Hati grimaces. “I can imagine. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Neon shakes his head. “You need to go home to Yinu.”

“She’s asleep. Besides, your security bot is looking after her in case anything goes wrong.”

“ _ One _ bot isn’t going to-”

“Shush. You know trespassers aren’t a worry.”

“What are you even doing away from home?”

“What are  _ you _ doing?”

_ Same as you? _ he wonders, but DJ’s already butting in again. “Back to your original question, I believe there  _ is _ something you can help with.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t suppose you know how to convince Zuke of something?”

Hati’s eyes narrow. “... why Zuke?”

“Is that a yes?”

She crosses her arms and stares at DJ. It takes her a few moments before she finally answers. “He visits the mangroove nursery every week. I’m sure there’s something there I can bribe him with.”

DJ claps their hands together. “Splendid!”

“Now, why Zuke?”

Both of them turn to Neon who, despite wanting to keep his  family’s troop’s problems on the down low, really does trust the people in front of him. It’s why he asked DJ to come over in the first place, and it’s why he straightens up with a new air of determination now. “Let me explain everything.”

Hopefully, with their help, he can make things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look... the thought of Neon J saving 1010’s early designs to make them into security bots ‘cause he can’t bear to scrap any of his creations... and then giving one of them to Yinu to help with her nightmares after the battle with B2J... and it comforting her at night when she doesn’t want to bother her mom... THOSE are some feelings!!!
> 
> [This](https://calpop5000.tumblr.com/post/631516878940127232/au-where-everything-is-the-same-except-neon-j-uses) highkey inspired the security bots so please give the artist some love. There’s only ten of them (five Mark I and five Mark II) and the ones not with Yinu are at the mansion ready to be deployed in case of intruders. The only things not making it awkward for 1010 is the fact that they’re all the same colors and don’t have fleshed out personalities like the roboboyband

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hopefully the next update isn’t that far away!


End file.
